Verizon announces the LG Cosmos 2

LG announced the successor to its Cosmos messaging phone today with the LG Cosmos 2 for Verizon Wireless. Like the original Cosmos, the Cosmos 2 has an external number keypad plus a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Features are relatively basic, and include access to the mobile Web, Verizon's new Mobile Email app, a document viewer, a music player, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headset jack, Bluetooth with A2DP support, a microSD card that can support up to 32GB cards, and direct access to popular social networks like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

The LG Cosmos 2 will be available on July 14 for $29.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year agreement. Cosmos 2 customers are allowed to try the Mobile Email app for 10 uses for free, after which they'll have to pay a $5 monthly fee if they want to continue using it.